Ohio-based America Makes, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, has just announced the seven awardees of its latest Project Call for additive manufacturing advancement programs. The Project Call, which was launched in March 2016, is focused on areas within five groups, which include Design, Material, Process, Value Chain, and AM Genome. Among the awardees were Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), Wolf Robotics, and more.

In association with the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), America Makes is expecting to release $5.5 million in funding for the awardees, which will be matched by another $5.5 million from the awarded project teams, making for a total of $11 million in funds. According to a recent press release by America Makes, the organization is nearing the $100 million mark in its portfolio of public and private funds invested for the purpose of advancing and developing additive manufacturing technologies.

The areas of interest or “swim lanes” listed for the Project Call—design, material, process, value chain, and AM genome—are the key groups within the Technology Roadmap laid out by America Makes and the Roadmap Advisory Group (RMAG), which are expected to have the biggest impact in terms of advancing 3D printing technology on the whole. In addition to the five swim lanes, the Project Call also included a focus on the role of workforce, education, and outreach (WEO). The latter was also divided into five areas of focus which included Knowledge & Awareness, Hands-on Learning, Trainee Programs, Talent Pipeline, and Industrial Genome. These areas were emphasized to help solve issues surrounding gaps in the workforce, education, and training.

The seven awardees announced by America Makes include the “Optimal Design and AM of Complex Internal Core Structures for High Performance Aerial Vehicle Production” project that was submitted by a team from Carnegie Mellon University in partnership with Automated Dynamics Corporation, Aurora Flight Sciences, Lockheed Martin, Stratasys, and more. The project aims to develop a computational and educational system for the creation of optimal 3D printed structures within the aerospace industry.

The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) was also awarded for its “Multi-functional Big Area AM (BAAM): BAAM with Multi-purpose Wire Embedding” project, which if you haven’t already guessed is centred on advancing 3D printing build volumes, as well as production rates, through the incorporation of wire embedding. Wolf Robotics, LLC’s “MULTI: Source/FeedStock/Meter-Scale METAL AM Machine” was also chosen by America Makes. This project, which is being developed in conjunction with Caterpillar Inc., Lincoln Electric Company, the Oak Ridge National Lab, and more, is hoping to “position the AM industrial usr base to take advantage of the lower cost and increased flexibility associated with scalable, multi-axis robot systems.”

John Wilczynski, America Makes Deputy Director of Technology Development, said, “With this Project Call, we made some modifications to the proposal process and those changes yielded positive results in membership involvement, proposal quality, and overall, a more productive proposal process. We look forward to officially kicking off these projects next month.”

Led by Carnegie Mellon University, in conjunction with Automated Dynamics Corporation; Aurora Flight Sciences; Lockheed Martin; Siemens Corporation; Stratasys Inc.; and United Technologies Corporation, this project will develop a computational system and educational materials for the optimal design and AM of 3D core (i.e., tooling) structures central in the aerospace industry. This project aims to overcome the immense and industry-wide challenges faced during the current manual design of and fabrication of core structures using conventional methods, as well as the subsequent performance of said structures. Advanced solutions will be developed using ﬁnite element methods, non-linear high-dimensional optimization, and design for AM (DFAM). In addressing WEO requirements, the project team will develop learning materials in the form of digitally disseminated lectures, software, and tutorials, and deploy a large-scale grand competition challenge.

Led by UTEP, in conjunction with Cincinnati Incorporated and Autodesk, Inc., this project will strive to advance AM build volumes and production rates by exploring the combined capability of large-scale AM with wire embedding due to its ability to introduce wire harness features directly into structural components. Wire embedding in 3D for large-scale AM will require a two-fold approach with the development of hardware and software solutions. In parallel efforts, this project will develop software solutions that will enable the conversion of 3D wire patterns into five-axis motion toolpaths that can be executed by the BAAM + wire embedding machine and integrate wire embedding technology into the BAAM machine. To satisfy WEO requirements, the team will guide the development of a graduate certificate program, tailored to accommodate remote engineers from throughout U.S. industry and government organizations.

Led by Wolf Robotics, in conjunction with Caterpillar Inc.; EWI; GKN Aerospace; IPG Photonics Corporation; ITAMCO; Lincoln Electric Company; Oak Ridge National Lab; United Technologies Corporation; and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, this project will position the AM industrial user base to take advantage of the lower cost and increased flexibility associated with scalable, multi-axis (nine and above) robot systems. The project team will build upon an existing alpha generation CAD to Path AM Robotic Software tool; test and refine the CAD to Path tool for a commercial first release; and conduct basic process testing to bundle it with a multi-process, multi-meter, multi-material, production-ready robot-based 3DP system. Upon project conclusion, it is anticipated that a commercially available, multi-planer CAD to Path Software Tool will be developed as the key WEO component, enabling the production of Medium Area AM (MAAM) and Big Area (BAAM) manufactured parts within the mainstream marketplace.

“Biomimetic Multi-jet Materials”- 3D Systems Corporation

Led by 3D Systems Corporation, in conjunction with Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) and the United States Army Research Laboratory (ARL), this project will endeavor to develop physiologic-like printable materials for multi-jet printing (MJP) to address the current lack of printable materials suitable for biomimetic modeling within the healthcare field. Specifically, the project will deliver standardized feedstock materials, benchmark property data, microstructure control, process window definition, and processing specifications. The project team’s technical approach will be tailored to meet specific market requirements, following the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) guidelines for medical device development. In addition to standard MJP material and chemical characterization, the project team will also leverage ARL resources to assess mechanical properties corresponding to physiological attributes. For the WEO component, canned training courses will be developed, customized initially for WRNMMC surgeons at varying experience levels on how to integrate medical modeling into their surgical planning processes.

Led by Phoenix Analysis & Design Technologies, Inc., in conjunction with Arizona State University; Honeywell International Inc.; LAI International, Inc.; and Howard A. Kuhn, Ph.D., this project will focus on lattice structure design and manufacturing, one of the most promising areas of AM research today, by developing robust, validated material model that accurately describes how they behave with the goal of elevating the performance of theses complex structure at reduced material utilization. Three AM processes, Fused Deposition Modeling, Laser-bed Powder Bed Fusion, and Electron Beam Melting, will be addressed, using thermoplastic and metal materials. Specifically, a physics-based, geometry-independent model that can predict 3D-printed lattice structure stiffness and failure for use in design optimization and simulation will be developed and validated. The development of an online, “living” textbook and a customizable class on implementing lattice structures with AM will meet WEO requirements.

“AM for Metal Casting (AM4MC)”- Youngstown Business Incubator

Led by the Youngstown Business Incubator, in conjunction with the American Foundry Society; Ford Motor Company; Humtown Products; Northeast Iowa Community College; Pennsylvania State University (ARL); Product Development & Analysis (PDA), LLC; Tinker Omega Mfg. LLC; the University of Northern Iowa; and Youngstown State University, this project will strive to transform the U.S. industrial base via the development of next-generation sand printers that offer line speed production of printed cores and molds that are also economically viable for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to procure and integrate into full production lines. To transform metal casting via large-scale integration of AM technology, components need to be designed without the constraints of conventional manufacturing and then produced economically via these next-gen printers. This project will focus on the development of a next-gen production sand printer and knowledge-based design tools to overcome production barriers. The team will leverage the American Foundry Society’s state, regional, and national forums to hold workshops; offer instructor-led classes; develop e-learning modules; and engage in business-focused presentations to satisfy WEO requirements.

“Multi-material 3D Printing of Electronics and Structures”- Raytheon

Led by Raytheon, in conjunction with General Electric Company (GE); nScrypt; Rogers Corporation; UMass-Lowell (UML) Research Institute (RURI); and the University of South Florida, this project will seek to advance AM from 2D-constrained designs to conformal and embedded solutions to enable multi-material printing of integrated 3D electronics and non-planar structures as the commercial, aerospace, biomedical, and defense industries have many applications that could benefit from novel, dense, and affordable 3D electronic packaging. The project team will apply its strength in printed electronics through an integrated system approach to improve and characterize 3D printing of multi-material and embedded electronics by working across the supply chain (inks, materials, printers, design, and control software) to establish a best practices baseline. To meet WEO requirements, the project team will develop online, certificate courses; instructor-led labs; R&D mentoring of undergraduates, graduates, and postgraduates; and customized and canned training programs.